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Texas Tourism: Tips for Travelers with Special Needs

Home > Travel Guides > North America & Caribbean > USA > Texas > Planning a Trip > Tips for Travelers with Special Needs

Tips for Travelers with Special Needs

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--Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from traveling. There are more options and resources out there than ever before. Travelers with physical disabilities should find Texas relatively easy to explore. Although some older hotels and restaurants might not be wheelchair-accessible, newer properties, plus most major parks and historical monuments, are. To be on the safe side, call ahead to make sure facilities are suitable.

The U.S. National Park Service offers a Golden Access Passport that gives free lifetime entrance to all properties administered by the National Park Service -- national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges -- for persons who are visually impaired or permanently disabled, regardless of age. You may pick up a Golden Access Passport at any NPS entrance-fee area by showing proof of medically determined disability and eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law. Besides free entry, the Golden Access Passport also offers a 50% discount on federal use fees charged for such facilities as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, and tours. For more information, check www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm or call tel. 888/GO-PARKS (888/467-2757).

Many travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 507/451-5005; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) offers escorted tours and cruises that emphasize sports and private tours in minivans with lifts. Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com) offers extensive access information and advice for traveling around the world with disabilities. Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com) caters specifically to slow walkers and wheelchair travelers and their families and friends.

Avis Rent a Car has an "Avis Access" program that offers such services as a dedicated 24-hour toll-free number (tel. 888/879-4273) for customers with special travel needs; special car features such as swivel seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls; and accessible bus service.

Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; SATH (Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality; tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $45 adults, $30 seniors and students), which offers a wealth of travel resources for all types of disabilities and informed recommendations on destinations, access guides, travel agents, tour operators, vehicle rentals, and companion services; and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB; tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), a referral resource for the blind or visually impaired that includes information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.

For more information specifically targeted to travelers with disabilities, the community website iCan (www.icanonline.net/channels/travel/index.cfm) has destination guides and several regular columns on accessible travel. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons ($14.95 per year, $19.95 outside the U.S.; www.emerginghorizons.com); and Open World magazine, published by SATH (see above; subscription: $13 per year, $21 outside the U.S.).

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State Guide

Texas Tourism: Tips for Travelers with Special Needs

Tips for Travelers with Special Needs

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